Free MLB Picks Today for Thursday, August 17th, 2023

Our free MLB picks are out for Thursday, August 17th, 2023! Make sure you check our MLB picks before the action kicks off.

Look below to find our free MLB picks for the five best games on today’s schedule!

Seattle Mariners @ Kansas City Royals – 2:10PM ET

Tony Battalio

Seattle picked up a solid victory over the Kansas City Royals in the third game of the series on Wednesday night, but it was a close call for Seattle, as Kansas City nearly tied it up in the bottom of the ninth inning. Now the Seattle Mariners will be looking to pick up their third victory in this four-game series against the Kansas City Royals as they look to wrap up this series with plenty of momentum heading into the weekend. They have been one of the hottest team in all of Major League Baseball as of late, and they will be looking to keep the momentum rolling in the finale of this series on Thursday afternoon as well as they look to continue climbing their way up the American League wildcard standings.

Kansas City will be looking to bounce back after losing the third game of this four-game series on Wednesday night by a single run. They managed to put up a run in the bottom of the ninth inning, but their comeback effort fell short against the Seattle Mariners, and now they will be looking to force a four-game series split with another victory here on Thursday afternoon at home. It’s been a rough season for Kansas City and at this point of the year they don’t have anything left to play for but their pride. Unfortunately for the Kansas City Royals, I don’t see this game on Thursday afternoon going that way either as I have the Seattle Mariners picking up the victory here to wrap up the series. 

New York Mets @ St.Louis Cardinals – 7:15PM ET

Tony Battalio

The New York Mets picked up a solid victory in the finale of their series against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday afternoon. Now they will be looking to open up the first game of this four-game series against the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday evening with a much-needed victory as well. The New York Mets have looked rough as of late, but if they can turn things around quickly, they still have a legitimate outside shot at grabbing one of the three National League wildcard spots. However, at this point in the year, it would likely take a lengthy winning streak for that to happen, and they could take another step in the right direction with a victory over the St. Louis Cardinals here on Thursday night on the road at Busch Stadium.

The St.Louis Cardinals played an embarrassing game on Wednesday afternoon as they were blown out by the Oakland Athletics to wrap up their three game interleague series. Now they will be looking to bounce back in the opening game of the series against the New York Mets on Thursday night at home. After all the expectations the Cardinals had coming into the season, they have been very disappointing up until this part of the year, and before the month of September even came around they are basically left with nothing else to play for this season but their pride. I don’t expect it to get much better for them and this one as I have the New York Mets picking up the victory over the Cardinals here on Thursday night.

Detroit Tigers @ Cleveland Guardians – 7:15PM ET

Tony Battalio

The Detroit Tigers wrapped up their three-game series with the Minnesota Twins with a victory on Wednesday afternoon. Despite having a losing record at the moment, they are still well within striking distance in first place in the American League Central division. As they come into the opening game of this four game weekend series against the Cleveland Guardians looking to gain some more ground on Minnesota with another victory here in this one. Detroit comes into this game with a record of 54-66 through the first 120 games of the 2023 Major League Baseball regular season. They will be looking to pick up their second consecutive victory in this game on Thursday night in Cleveland. 

The Cleveland Guardians struggled in the second game of their quick two game series against their in-state rivals the Cincinnati Reds. Now they will be looking to regroup in this game against the Detroit Tigers on Thursday night. Cleveland has been up and down all season long and they will certainly need to get on a hot streak, coming down the final stretch of the season if they want to make the playoffs this year. Cleveland comes into the opening game of this series with a record of 58-63 through the first 121 games of the 2023 Major League Baseball season. I expect the Cleveland Guardians to bounce back in this game and pick up the victory over the Detroit Tigers on Thursday night at home.

Arizona Diamondbacks @ San Diego Padres – 9:40PM ET

Tony Battalio

The Arizona Diamondbacks come into the opening game of this series after grabbing two consecutive victories over the Colorado Rockies to wrap up their three-game series. Now they will be looking to open up this series with the San Diego Padres with a victory as they look to get their season back on track after a rough start coming out of the All-Star break. They will have their potential National League Cy Young award winner on the mound for them as Zac Gallen gets the baseball in the opening game of this four-game series on Thursday night. Which gives the Arizona Diamondbacks a very good shot at winning this ball game against San Diego on the road.

The San Diego Padres had an impressive performance against the Baltimore Orioles in the finale of their three game interleague series on Wednesday night. As they managed to pick up a victory to officially take two out of three games from the best team in the American League at the moment. Now San Diego will be looking to keep the momentum rolling in the opening game of this four-game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Thursday night at home. San Diego will send Rich Hill to the mound for this game, which gives them a huge disadvantage in the pitching matchup. Unfortunately for the Padres, I don’t see them overcoming that, as I have the Arizona Diamondbacks picking up the victory here on Thursday night on the road. 

Milwaukee Brewers @ Los Angeles Dodgers – 10:10PM ET

Tony Battalio

The Milwaukee Brewers come into the third and final game of the series against the Los Angeles Dodgers looking to pick up a huge victory as they look to further establish themselves as the front runner in the National League Central division. Milwaukee has been flying under the radar all season long, but this is certainly a team that could do some damage in the postseason if they remain healthy and consistent throughout the remainder of the regular season. They will have former National League, Cy Young award winner, Corbin Burnes on the mound for this game which should give them a huge boost, as they look to wrap up this series with a victory and give themselves some momentum heading into the weekend. 

The Los Angeles Dodgers come into this game looking to wrap up this series with the Milwaukee Brewers on a positive note before heading into the weekend. Los Angeles has all but officially locked up their playoff spot for this season as they are continuously gaining ground on the rest of the teams in the National League West division. As long as they remain consistent throughout the remainder of the year they will coast to a division title and if they get hot coming down the final stretch of the season there is a possibility that they could grab the number one seed in the National League as well. Unfortunately for Los Angeles, I don’t expect them to get the victory in this one however, as I look for the Brewers to wrap up this series with a win.

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*Odds and spreads correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.